I.E. neighbors clean up foreclosed homes

When it comes to foreclosures, Riverside County has been one of the hardest hit areas. The county has seen more 45,000 filings so far this year. However, there is a group of volunteers in Murrieta who are trying to make a difference, by cleaning up foreclosed homes.About one year ago, a group, let by Barbara Nugent, noticed their neighborhood was falling apart due to foreclosures.

"You're walking along, you see a mess, you complain, 'Look at that, look at that, look at that.' And we decided to stop complaining and do something about it," said Barbara.

That's when everyday yard work started making a big difference in Barbara's Murrieta neighborhood.

However, the group ran into a bit of a snag when they had nowhere to dispose of the waste. Thankfully, the city of Murrieta donated trash cans. In addition, the city comes by to take them away when the cleanup crew is through.

"Without that support we couldn't do it ... we couldn't do it," said Barbara. "Because when you have stacks and stacks of stuff, you can't just leave it."

One home along Cadenza Drive is one of the group's many success stories.

"And every bit of it was full of weeds, crab grass and trash," said Barbara.

All of the group's efforts haven't gone unnoticed.

"Well I think it's fulfilling a need the city needs, to protect our interest in our property values. And make it presentable to potential buyers," said Dave Landriscina, a Murrieta neighbor.

The group still has lots of weeds to pick and trash to collect, but they are cleaning up Murrieta one house at a time.